THE TARA RIVER SUP PROJECT EXPLORING THE WORLD’S SECOND DEEPEST CANYON BY SUP BOARD

Dreams of using SUP for river exploration drew one of France’s whitewater SUP pioneers to Montenegro this spring. Nicolas Fayol found the perfect combination of European culture and accessibility and remote wilderness in Montenegro’s Tara River Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world located a mere daylong drive from France. Fayol and a team of whitewater paddlers and professional SUPers loaded boards to make the first self-support SUP descent down 150 kilometres of the Tara in five days.

Words and Photography: Gilles Reboisson

“THE GOAL: PADDLE 150 KILOMETRES (94 MILES) DOWN THE TARA RIVER, INCLUDING DEVIL’S CANYON, ONE OF THE DEEPEST CANYONS IN THE WORLD.” THE PROJECT French whitewater SUP pioneer Nicolas Fayol was in search of a place within Europe to run a multi-day whitewater SUP mission. He wanted a river with a taste of exploration and beautiful scenery, yet still easily accessible. After poring over maps, Fayol lit upon the Balkans, a region in Eastern and Southeastern Europe that takes its name from nearby mountains. The Balkan range stretches from the Serbian-Bulgarian border to the Black Sea, encompassing many countries, including Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. Of all the rivers the Balkans has to offer, the world-famous Tara River Canyon,a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montenegro, caught Fayol’s…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, SUP World Magazine 2017

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